Mobile Phone Scams: How To Spot And Avoid

Mobile phone scams are becoming increasingly common, with scammers using various tactics to trick people into giving away personal information or money. It’s essential to be aware of these scams and know how to protect yourself. In this post, we’ll discuss what mobile phone scams are, how to recognize them, and tips for avoiding them.

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What are Mobile Phone Scams?

Mobile phone scams are fraudulent schemes that target individuals through their mobile phones. These scams can take many forms, such as text messages, phone calls, or apps that trick users into providing sensitive information or making payments.

Mobile phone scams can be difficult to recognize. Be wary of somebody who talks as if they know you or of redialling a missed call from an unknown number—there may be hidden charges.

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WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Ringtone scams might attract you with an offer of a free or low-cost ringtone. What you may not realize is that by accepting the offer, you may actually be subscribing to a service that will keep sending you ringtones—and charging you a premium rate for them. There are many legitimate companies selling ringtones, but there are also scammers who will try to hide the true cost of taking up the offer.

Scammers either don’t tell you that your request for the first ringtone is actually a subscription to a ringtone service, or it may be obscured in fine print related to the offer. They also make it difficult for you to stop the service. You have to actively “opt out” of the service to stop the ringtones and the associated charges.

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Missed call scams start by scammers calling your phone and hanging up so quickly that you can’t answer the call in time. Your phone registers a missed call and you probably won’t recognize the number. You may be tempted to call the number to find out who called you. If it is a scam, you will be paying premium
rates for the call without knowing.

Text message scams work in a similar way, but through a Short Message Service (SMS). Scammers send you a text message from a number you may not recognize, but it sounds like it is from a friend—for instance: “Hi, it’s John. I’m back! When are you free to catch up?” If you reply out of curiosity, you
might be charged at premium rate for SMS messages (sometimes as much as $4 for each message sent and/or received).

An SMS contest or SMS trivia scam usually arrives as a text message or in an advertisement and encourages you to take part in a trivia contest for a great prize. All you need to do is answer a certain number of questions correctly. The scammers make money by charging extremely high rates for the messages you send and any further messages they send to you. With trivia scams, the first set of questions will be very easy. This is meant to encourage you to keep playing. However, the last one or two questions that you need to answer to claim your “prize” could be very difficult or impossible to answer correctly.

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Tips to Avoid Mobile Phone Scams

1. Verify the Source: If you receive a suspicious message or call, verify the source before taking any action. Contact the company or individual directly using a known phone number or website.
2. Use Caution with Links and Downloads: Avoid clicking on links or downloading attachments from unknown or suspicious sources.
3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication: Use two-factor authentication for your mobile phone accounts to add an extra layer of security.
4. Stay Informed: Keep up-to-date with the latest mobile phone scams and learn how to recognize them.

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Conclusion

Mobile phone scams can be deceptive, but by staying informed and following the tips mentioned above, you can protect yourself from falling victim to these scams. Remember, it’s always better to be cautious and verify the source before sharing any personal information or making payments.